Zoophobia
by Elphaba01
Summary: "I'm not exactly fond of animals," said Draco. Luna took a step back, gasping. "You're afraid of - of animals?" "What? NO!" / One-shot! Smeagolia's Phobia Challenge. LunaxDraco


**It's a challenge from the wonderful Smeagolia! I don't own Harry Potter in any way.**

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"Luna, I'm not going in there."

Luna looked away from the exciting, bold sign that said _London Zoo_, raising a concerned eyebrow at her husband. His face was even paler than usual, grey eyes – ones that matched the clouds that encircled the sky – looking alert and horrified to his very core.

Linking his terror with his well-known fear – Death Eaters – she quickly craned her head in all directions, her dirty-blonde curls flying in the rough wind. Seeing no darkly-cloaked, recognisable, depressed-looking people within sight, her large eyes set back on her husband, with curious wonder. "Draco, what's wrong?"

He took in a deep breath, his muscles as tense as steel, shoving her research clipboard into her hands. "I'm not going in there."

"I think we've already established that," she said in a faraway voice, smiling at him kindly and glancing down at her sort-of-neat handwriting and haste drawings of animals. He flashed a quick, hesitant smile before returning to his still-as-stone expression. "But why?"

"I don't like zoos." His tone was straight-forward. Clipped.

Strange.

Luna looked at him, perplexed and even more curious of her husband than she ever had before. "You don't like zoos," she repeated slowly.

"Well, yes," he replied, shifting his stature to seem more high and mighty, but in reality made him look awkward and nervous.

Mr Draco Malfoy never was awkward and nervous.

In fact, he was the direct opposite. He tried to talk to ones who were from lower-tier backgrounds, attempting to converse in his posh pureblood manner and sometimes managing to make friends while doing so; he even made amends with stubborn Ronald – with Luna's constant elbowing, of course – and apologised to the others for his childish, obnoxious behaviour during their times at Hogwarts.

And he married her. That had to count for something.

"Then why did you agree to come with me?" she asked. "I only needed to research some animals for the trip."

'The trip' as in an all-too-important journey around the world to find the cure for a free-Nargle life – Luna was sure she had a stable lead, for the exotic plants in the Amazon had a similar material in her beer caps collection and would make a splendid potion.

Except, she didn't know what the habitat was for relatively _normal _animals such as elephants and polar bears (she heard polar bears lived in rainforests, but that might've been her father rattling on about his new obsessions with pandas...). And thus decided it would've been not only an exciting day to spend with Draco on his day off, but also one to admire the beauty of non-magical creatures.

Draco had the sudden interest in his glossy black shoes, mumbling something under his breath. Shifting closer so her ear was close to his mouth – a passerby looked at her strangely but she didn't really care – she said, "Pardon?"

"I'm not exactly fond of animals."

She took a step back, letting out a small gasp. "You're _afraid_ of – of _animals_?" she stuttered, her hand flying to her mouth as she stumbled backwards.

"What? _No_!" Draco said, clearly lying between his teeth as he lunged closer to her. Luna gasped again, widening her eyes at him, and he looked at her defensively. "Afraid in animals in what _way_, may I ask?"

Luna stayed silent.

"As in, you might have a fear of their smell – they're extremely unhygienic, you know, how they bathe in dirt and their own waste," he added, and trying to ignore Luna's third offended intake of air. "It's disgusting behaviour. Also, their odd noises – whatever are elephants thinking, doing that – that – _noise_."

"It's to call for their young and communicate with their fellow kind!" Luna squeaked.

"Well, I have to communicate with my kind, but I don't howl or – or _growl_ at anyone," he said, his argument rapidly decreasing its meaning. "Or maybe it's just animals in general? Every single part of them that sends tendrils of fear and terror so you have to humiliate yourself in the middle of public? _Muggle _public, might I add?"

His wife stared at him, waiting for a conclusion, and he sighed.

"Yes, I'm scared of animals, if you prefer to put it that way," he answered, rolling his eyes nonchalantly but with some skittish glances at the zoo entrance.

Knitting her eyebrows, Luna studied him carefully – his stone-like posture, expressionless mask, hands in his blazer pocket.

And she laughed.

"Why are you _laughing_?" he snapped, turning his head sharply at her. She just kept on giggling. "It's not comical in the slightest! Luna – _Luna_!"

"Sorry," she said guiltily, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes. The wind breezed past them, her long blonde strands flying and her light summer dress's strings blowing; it would've looked strange – an albino, tall bloke with a black suit and glossy shoes, and a small girl with huge eyes, wild hair and barefooted.

She knew they fit like a glove, though. Or an odd puzzle piece that looked as if it couldn't ever fit but did. Or like a head and a cap – Luna being the hazardously made hat with enormous bird wings and eyes and the head being a smoothly slicked back, perfect head of Draco's.

Well, Draco's hair wasn't that neat anymore, due to the sudden increase of wind; it was slightly messy, parts of his fringe falling into his eyes. No matter how many times he tried to keep it in place with the gel, it refused to do so.

"Stop it," she said softly, standing on her tip-toes to stop his hands from fussing. "I like it when it's like that. It makes you look wonderfully adventurous and spontaneously remarkable, Draco. Which you are," she added, noticing his raise of his eyebrow, and grinned.

He sighed, glancing at the clipboard that was held in her hand, almost forgotten; moments ago she was holding it as if it was her lifeline, skipping around and ecstatic for the day ahead. Closing his eyelids, he snatched the board and held her hand. "C'mon, Luna. Let's go," he said begrudgingly, pulling her towards the entrance.

"Draco, what are you doing? You're scared of zoos," she said, surprise in her tone but not at all reluctant.

"Darling, we're _going_ in the _zoo_."

She widened her eyes at him, laughing. "Draco, you're insane!"

"I'm just as sane as you are."


End file.
